June 09

The WC windsurfing of 2009 was a succesful edition. The event took place during the Zwitserleven Zeilweek on the Island of Texel. During the registration at Monday a bright sun warmed up the beach. With the good forecast we had a promising event to come. It was a shot in the hole on day one. Bernd Flessner (G16), top favorite was delighted: "It is years ago, when we had such condition during a slalom competition. Side shore winds and marks in the break. Unbelievable."

Surprises during day 1:

On day 1 during the WC windsurfing they completed three elimination with a windforce 5-6 from the south. While this WC is organized there is also a professional contest in Spain. Most topsurfers preferred to go there so we have a nice field of outsider and complete unknowns. The Dutchmen Jacques van der Hout was one of the suprises of day one. A few years ago he stopped with contest but he was in for a good windsurfing week. So the Former Dutch Champion got on the ferry and went to Texel. "I am happy to be here, my preparation is bad and now I am placed second. I hope my condition won't let me down. This could be a long week."

Best catch on day three

During day two and three we had to wait on the necessary 11 knots. But windsurfers rather stay on the beach then float around on the sea. Dutch fastest windsurfer Dirk Doppenberg. "It is absolutely useless to go out now. There is not enough wind and there is a lot of current. But we are used to it. Windsurfing is a nature sport where we need a lot of wind. Don't forget we cannot float like boats do. But we have a result now, the contest has started. We have sailed three eliminations and when we do two more we have an extra discard. That can make the rankings totally different." On the end of day three it looked like the wind was strong enough for another elimination. But the organizers had difficulties to set the course because the wind suddenly turned. After they had laid the course again a Fishing boat caught one of their marks. A good catch, but not for the organizers. Before they got their buoy back the wind died.

Final races on day four

With an onshore northwest wind and a hard break it was a hard day for the windsurfers. Due to the upcoming wind the waves got bigger and made it more difficult for the sailors. Still the contest directors managed to complete two complete eliminations. They started a third one, but they couldn't complete it due to the dying winds. This one doesn't count for the final results. On day four, the leader of the moment, broke his mast just before his heat. It looked like he was going to waste his placing here. Also the runner up of the moment had difficulties in the light winds. It looked like number 3 would profit from the bad results of the top two competitors. Just before the start we had a little chat with Josh Ludo (ESP 12). After day 1 he was on the third place. He took second place in the first elimination of today and it looked like he could be the winner of the day. Number 1 and 2 made some mistakes and we asked him about his heat and the result. "In the final I had a good start downwind, but I was trimmed for lichtwind so I couldn't get as much speed I wanted. I got second after Antoine at the first mark and was pretty much in control. Antoine had a clear lead so there was no need to push and I tried to control in second place. About the ranking, I will not climb the ladder because the other guys can discard their results in Elimination four."

But after elimination four and five number one and two of the moment could hold their rankings due to the two discards they could use. Josh Ludo who seemed to profit from their bad result was even caught up by Antoine Questel (FRA 99) who silently climbed the ranking. Also Adriaan van Rijsselberghe climbed the ladders and became fifth overall.

Preview

As of 2009, the Round Texel Race is to be continued as Zwitserleven Sailing Week. This high-performance event unites spectacular activities that raise the adrenalin. For decades the main focus was on the Round Texel Race itself, whereas the new program becomes more extensive, challenging and longer. Not only for the competitive and recreational sailors, but also for the spectators. The first considerable addition is the 2009 Slalom World Championship that will attract the world's best windsurfers.

From June 8 until June 13, the Texel beach at Paal 17 will be the center of everything that sails on the sea, beach and through the surf at high speed. Spectators will be presented with a variety of activities, such as clinics and presentations in the Pitlane on the beach. There will be several demonstration sports. The sand offers a perfect course for the sensational experience of land yachting with Volvo Blokarts. Meanwhile, the kitesurfers will show their skills in the surf and the high-performance sailors their acrobatics on skiffs.

Development

"It is our aim to develop the Round Texel Race and Texel Dutch Open altogether", said Sidny van Zon (NED), chairman of the Round Texel Foundation. "Every year, we put a huge effort into building a fantastic event area at Paal 17. It is a pity that it can only be used for a few days and therefore we looked into the possibilities of expanding the concept. The Zwitserleven Sailing Week will unite the less conventional and especially spectacular classes into the high-performance event on the annual racing calendar."

"Additional advantages are the early arrival of participants, lots of activities for the audience and the media can cover more top sports", says Event Co-ordinator Edwin Lodder (NED). The goal for 2010 is to further develop the Zwitserleven Sailing Week: ". . . the windsurfing element will remain part of the program as well".